Effects of Stopping Human Services in SSA Field Offices on Disability Claims and Grants – Center for Retirement Research

Abstract

In this study, we examine the impact of the suspension of in-person services at Social Security Administration (SSA) field offices during the COVID-19 crisis on claims and applicant characteristics to determine whether certain beneficiary groups were disproportionately affected. We examine how applicant characteristics differ by application mode—face-to-face, phone, or online—to understand which groups of applicants are most likely to use in-person services prior to termination. We use a difference-in-differences approach that allows us to estimate the impact of the suspension of personal services on the volume of applications and the composition of the applicant population while controlling for other factors related to the epidemic. Our analysis data consists of application information from SSA’s Structured Data Repository, combined with applicant work history information from the Electronic Application Analysis Tool. We have compiled administrative data and information on the location of SSA field offices and regional information from the American Community Survey and the New York Times COVID-19 repository.

The paper found that:

• There were systematic differences in the characteristics of applicants by application method. In-person applicants were older, less likely to have completed high school, and less likely to speak English compared to telephone or online applicants.
• The suspension caused a 6 percent drop in the volume of applications, meaning that not everyone who wanted to apply in person was able to apply through other methods. The impact was greater on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs compared to Social Security Insurance (DI) claims.
• The suspension of in-person services caused some who would have applied in person to apply by phone, but did not result in an increase in the volume of online applications.
• We found no evidence that the suspension disproportionately affected groups of applicants defined by educational attainment, age, or English-speaking status.
• Our estimates indicate that personal service suspensions explain more than 50 percent of the decline in SSI and DI claims during the violence.

The policy implications of the findings are:

• Policies aimed at increasing awareness and use of online services can significantly reduce barriers to application for eligible individuals; however, they may help certain types of people who are more suited than others.
• Understanding the characteristics of applicants using different application methods can be useful in helping the government allocate resources more effectively to support access to the application process.
• Our results show that a better understanding of how application mode affects the completeness and quality of SSI or DI applications can ultimately lead to potential application support (such as access to an online chat with an SSA representative) through commonly associated application methods. with relatively low application quality.